A nasal rinse flushes warm saltwater through one nostril and out the other, washing away mucus, allergens, and irritants. The whole process takes about two minutes once you have your solution ready. Here’s how to do it safely and effectively.
Choose Your Device
The two most common options are a neti pot and a squeeze bottle. A neti pot is gravity-fed: you tilt it and let the water flow passively through your nasal passages. A squeeze bottle (or battery-operated irrigator) lets you apply gentle pressure, creating more of a “power wash” effect that can reach deeper into the sinuses. Both work well. Squeeze bottles tend to be easier for beginners because you control the flow with your hand rather than relying on head angle alone.
Make Your Saline Solution
Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a batch you can store: combine 3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The baking soda buffers the solution so it doesn’t sting. Most table salt in the U.S. is iodized, so reach for kosher salt, pickling salt, or canning salt instead. You can also buy premeasured saline packets, which remove the guesswork entirely.
When you’re ready to rinse, add 1 teaspoon of this dry mix to 8 ounces of lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. This creates an isotonic solution, meaning it matches your body’s natural salt concentration and feels comfortable in your nose. Water that’s too hot or too cold will be unpleasant, so aim for a temperature close to body heat.
Use Safe Water
This is the single most important safety rule: never use unboiled tap water. Tap water can contain low levels of organisms, including a rare but dangerous amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, that are harmless to swallow but potentially fatal when introduced directly into nasal passages. The CDC recommends using one of these options:
- Distilled or sterile water sold at any pharmacy or grocery store
- Boiled and cooled tap water. Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes at elevations above 6,500 feet), then let it cool to lukewarm. Store unused boiled water in a clean, sealed container.
- Filtered water passed through a filter labeled with a pore size of 1 micron or smaller
Step-by-Step Technique
Stand or sit over a sink. Lean forward so your face is pointing down toward the basin. Keeping your head tilted forward prevents the solution from running down your throat. Breathe through your mouth for the entire rinse.
Place the tip of the neti pot spout or squeeze bottle nozzle just inside one nostril, about half an inch in. You don’t need to push it deep. Gently pour or squeeze the solution into that nostril. The water will travel through your nasal cavity and drain out the opposite nostril. Use about half the solution on one side, then switch to the other nostril and repeat with the remaining half.
After finishing both sides, gently blow your nose over the sink to clear out residual water and loosened mucus. Some people find that a small amount of water trickles out over the next few minutes, especially when they lean forward. This is normal.
How Often to Rinse
If you’re rinsing to relieve a cold, sinus infection, or allergy flare-up, start with once a day while symptoms are active. If that helps and you want to maintain the benefits, you can increase to twice a day as part of a regular routine. There’s no strict upper limit, but daily use over long periods can occasionally dry out the nasal lining. If your nose starts feeling dry or irritated, take a break for a few days.
Why It Works
Saline irrigation does more than just physically flushing out mucus. It removes inflammatory compounds from the nasal lining, which helps reduce swelling. It also improves the function of the tiny hair-like structures (cilia) that line your nasal passages. These cilia beat in coordinated waves to move mucus toward the throat, and saline rinses increase their beat frequency, helping your nose clear itself more efficiently even between rinses.
Clean Your Equipment After Every Use
Bacteria and mold can grow inside a damp nasal irrigation device. After each rinse, wash the device thoroughly with safe water (distilled or previously boiled), then dry the inside with a paper towel or leave it open to air dry completely before putting it away. Always wash and dry your hands before preparing a rinse. If you notice any discoloration or residue building up inside the device, replace it.
Nasal Rinsing for Children
Nasal irrigation is safe for babies starting around 9 months old, though you’ll need a device specifically designed for smaller nostrils. Baby-sized syringes, mini neti pots, and small squirt bottles are all available. The saline recipe is slightly more diluted for infants: 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt (with an optional teaspoon of baking soda) per 2 cups of cooled sterile water. Position your baby leaning forward over a sink or sitting upright with a container under their chin. Use only a small amount of solution and apply very gentle pressure.
When to Stop or Adjust
Most people tolerate nasal rinsing without any issues, but there are a few signs to watch for. Ear pressure or a feeling that you need to pop your ears means the solution is reaching the Eustachian tubes that connect your nasal passages to your middle ear. If this happens, check your technique: make sure your head is tilted forward (not back or to the side) and that you’re using gentle pressure rather than forceful squeezing.
Persistent nasal dryness is another signal to take a break or reduce your rinsing frequency. And if your symptoms aren’t improving or are getting worse after several days of rinsing, the rinse alone may not be enough to address whatever is going on. Nasal irrigation works best as a complement to other care, not a replacement for it.